We’ve got bikes!

This entry was published at least two years ago (originally posted on March 24, 2009). Since that time the information may have become outdated or my beliefs may have changed (in general, assume a more open and liberal current viewpoint). A fuller disclaimer is available.

Getting bikes has been one of the things on our “we’d really like to do that someday” list for a long time, and sometime over the past few months, we’d decided that that was going to be my birthday present this year: bikes for me and Prairie. As spring has been getting closer, we’ve been getting more excited about the plan, and so this morning, as a combination of early birthday present and consolation after getting word that I didn’t get a job I’d interviewed for last week, we went up to Target and got ourselves new toys.

Boy on a Bike Girl on a Bike

Prairie, being a girl who likes pink, got a Schwinn Roxie Cruiser, and as I’m not a girl and not overly fond of pink, I got a Schwinn Comfort Gridlock. Yup, both the old standard Schwinn! Obviously, neither of us are cyclists (with the capital “C” and lots of spandex), so we got exactly what we wanted: a couple of decent, sturdy cruise-along-the-Green-River-Trail bikes.

Of course, along with the bikes were helmets, bike pumps, patch kits, and a silly little pink-with-flowers horn for Prairie’s bike, plus a rear carry rack for the car so we could get them home. Not a bad haul, overall.

As soon as we got home, we took them out for a short ride along the trail. While neither of us has had a bike in years (myself around ten or so, since well before I left Anchorage for Seattle; Prairie’s closer to at least a good fifteen years since she’s had one), it’s apparently quite true that you don’t forget how to ride, as both of us were off and riding without a problem. There’s a few minor tweaks to make to ensure that both bikes are adjusted properly for us, but that won’t take much. We’re really looking forward to biking around here over the summer (and if I’m lucky enough to find a job relatively close to our apartment, that could make commuting that much easier).

New toys!